LANSING, Mich. — Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, on Thursday issued the following statement after the Michigan Senate approved legislation that would give school districts the authority to ban cellphone use during class time:
“We must do everything we can to help our kids succeed in school and make it in Michigan because they have fallen further and further behind under the failed direction of Gov. Whitmer and Lansing Democrats. Once a national leader, Michigan now ranks among the bottom 10 states for education, and the vast majority of our third and fourth graders cannot read at grade level. This is unacceptable, and it must change.
“It’s time to restore Michigan’s read by third grade guarantee and other accountability measures abandoned under Gov. Whitmer and Lansing Democrats. We need to get back to the basics — reading, writing and math — and support teachers who are trained to make it happen through proven, science-backed methods like phonics. Our schools must once again focus on teaching students the 26 letters of the alphabet instead of indoctrinating them into a dystopian woke world of 26 imaginary genders. I will not stop fighting to give our kids the best opportunities to grow up and make it in Michigan.”
Nesbitt recently gathered a group of state lawmakers and education leaders to discuss solutions for Michigan’s broken school system during a standing-room-only Save MI Schools Town Hall event in Oakland County.